Receiving oral sex from somebody who has cold sores around their mouth significantly raises the risk of becoming infected.

It is impossible to get genital herpes from a toilet seat.

What are the symptoms of herpes?

Most people do not experience symptoms for months or years after becoming infected. Those who do have symptoms during the initial period will usually notice them about 4 days after exposure (the average range is 2-12 days).

Many people with HSV have recurring herpes. When a person is first infected, the recurrences tend to happen more frequently. Over time, however, the remission periods get longer, and each occurrence tends to become less severe.

Primary infection symptoms

Primary infection is a term used for an outbreak of genital herpes that occurs when a person is first infected. The symptoms can be quite severe and may include:

blisters and ulceration on external genitalia, in the vagina, or on the cervix

In most cases, the ulcers will heal, and the individual will not have any lasting scars.

Recurrent infection symptoms

Symptoms that occur in a recurrent infection tend to be less severe and do not last as long as they do in the primary infection stage. Typically, symptoms will last no more than 10 days and include:

burning or tingling around genitals before blisters appear

women may have blisters and ulceration on the cervix

cold sores around the mouth

red blisters

Eventually, recurrences happen less often and are much less severe.

Causes of herpes

When HSV is present on the surface of the skin of an infected person, it can easily be passed on to someone else through the moist skin that lines the mouth, anus, and genitals. The virus may also spread to another individual through other areas of skin, as well as the eyes.

A human cannot become infected with HSV by touching an object, work surface, washbasin, or towel that has been touched by an infected person. Infection can occur in the following ways:

having unprotected vaginal or anal sex

having oral sex with a person who gets cold sores

sharing sex toys

having genital contact with an infected person

The virus is most likely to be passed on just before the blister appears, when it is visible, and until the blister is completely healed. HSV can still be transmitted to another person when there are no signs of an outbreak, although it is less likely.

If a mother with genital herpes has sores while giving birth, it is possible that the infection will be passed on to the baby.

If urinating is painful, apply some cream or lotion to the urethra, for example, lidocaine

Some people find that using ice packs can help. Never apply ice directly to the skin, always wrap it in a cloth or towel first.

Medication

No drug can get rid of the herpes virus. Doctors may prescribe an antiviral, such as acyclovir, which prevents the virus from multiplying. Antiviral medications will help the outbreak clear up faster and will also help reduce the severity of symptoms.

Doctors usually prescribe antivirals the first time a person has symptoms. As recurrent outbreaks are usually mild, treatment is not usually necessary.

Episodic treatment and suppressive treatment

Episodic treatment is generally for people who have less than six recurrences in 1 year. Doctors may prescribe a 5-day course of antivirals each time symptoms appear.

Doctors prescribe suppressive treatment if a person experiences more than six recurrences in a year. In some cases, a doctor my recommend that the individual takes daily antiviral treatment indefinitely. The aim here is to prevent further recurrences. Although suppressive treatment significantly reduces the risk of passing HSV to a partner, there is still a risk.

Prevention

To reduce the risk of developing or passing on genital herpes:

use condoms when having sex

do not have sex while symptoms are present (genital, anal, or skin-to-skin)

do not kiss when there is a cold sore around the mouth

do not have many sexual partners

Some people find that stress, being tired, illness, friction against the skin, or sunbathing may trigger recurrences of symptoms. Identifying and avoiding these triggers may help reduce the number of recurrences.

Can Genital herpes be passed to another person by kissing where there are no cold sores around the mouth and there are no symptoms present. The girl's symptoms started four days after the kissing [only kissing nothing else] and they were fairly severe. She told me that she had unprotected sex with a guy within the past two months. I am not sure if she was telling the truth about not knowing exactly how long ago. Thank you for your consideration.

if my girl has herpes and i give her oral sex can i catch herpes? 2nd question- if i rub my penis across my girl vagina without a condom on can i still catch herpes? 3rd question-if a girl has herpes on her vagina does that mean she has it all over her body or can transfer it from other areas?

Thank God I found this useful thread, Im so afraid of my cousins herpes and thank God I found some cure for it, Though it is not fast to heal but He maintain it and I can see that some of the infected area is fading and healing.

male and females are getting herpes. However, transmission is more common from the male to the female, than the female passing it to the male. This is simply due to the nature of female's having more soft tissue thus being more vulnerable.

2017 Healthline Media UK Ltd. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.